Theatre / Reviews
Review: A Fairy Story (Animal Farm), Tobacco Factory Theatres – ‘Exceptional acting lights up this techno remix of the Orwellian fable’
Forget everything you remember about Animal Farm from your secondary school English lessons. This is the techno remix of the fable you never knew you needed, complete with aggressive strobe lighting and silver confetti.
The thumping soundtrack by composer Ben Osborn immediately plunges the audience into a warehouse party where anthropomorphic farmyard animals stomp and clap. This is fun to watch at first, but the sensory overload teeters on the edge of being too much.
Elsewhere, this cast of Bristol School of Acting graduating students shine brightest in the slower, quieter scenes that punctuate the in-your-face choreography.
Stand-out moments on the sloped stage include Kate Goodman’s pig slyly brainwashing Tom Eros’ naive sheep. There is also a sombre aside when the horses, elegantly portrayed by Jamie Whitelaw and Melisa Hawa Mensah, reckon with the “animalist” regime imposed in the aftermath of the revolution.
One of the production’s unique choices is the decision to upgrade a minor character from Orwell’s text, a pigeon spy, into a panicked news-anchor-style narrator.
Later, the pigeon is joined by a rival commentator, a dove, who tries to censor and sanitise the storytelling. With a sickly sweetness, Salomé Haertel nails her red-lipped, wide-grinned delivery of “alternative facts”.
The animalistic physicality of the human characters is also exceptionally acted. Conveying Napoleon the pig’s degeneration into human behaviour, Yzabelle Walker eerily mimics the creature-like farmers’ contorting bodies.
Comedic relief from the violence is offered by three rebellious hens, styled by Rhi Good in puffer jackets and hooped earrings. Madeleine Chambers’ sassy chicken earns several cheers from the audience.
In contrast, some of the special effects let the performance down. Multiple missed gunfire cues and a fog-emitting costume that seems to be faulty become distracting. Lastly, the voice modulator that distorts human vocals is overused, making some lines inaudible.
Director and writer Maisie Newman has stated that she used Orwell’s subtitle, A Fairy Story, to echo the author’s fear that people wouldn’t stomach a political allegory. She also nods to the idea that modern audiences disengage unless content is quick and easy to digest.
For an adaptation of a 100-page novella that’s known for its punchiness, the 140-minute duration of this production is over-indulgent, but perhaps Newman was proving her point about endurance.
Nevertheless, this fresh interpretation is an unsettling thrill ride and a disturbing reminder of the timelessness of Animal Farm. It bursts with memorable moments animated by the relentless energy and creativity of its talented cast of rising stars.
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A Fairy Story (Animal Farm) is at Tobacco Factory Theatres on February 5-7 at 7.30pm, with an additional 2.30pm matinee show on Friday. Visit www.tobaccofactorytheatres.com for tickets.
All photos: Craig Fuller
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